


Affection [The Legend of Zelda]

by Alesiduex



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Focus on Feelings, Friends to Lovers, If Link was just a regular boy, Love Confessions, One Shot, Reader-Insert, Self Insert, Valentine's Day Fluff, XReader, kind of an AU, working through emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 12:09:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17787152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alesiduex/pseuds/Alesiduex
Summary: In which Link and Reader try to understand their new feelings towards one another and then figure out how to convey them in words.





	Affection [The Legend of Zelda]

From childhood, she had always been by his side. No matter what had happened or how many years had passed, she had never left him alone. She was a part of him, just as he was a part of her. They were inseparable, and that was something he had never hoped to change.

 

‘Closer than friends, yet the furthest from lovers.’

 

It had been what best described their relationship. He had loved her and she had loved him, but the type of love they held for each other had meant differently from one another. He didn’t know if the love he felt was romantic. For a while, he believed it to be familial until it changed. He no longer thought of his childhood friend as just someone akin to a sister, she became more than that.

 

Her smile had no longer been just a smile, it had been something he had hoped to see every day and when she’d show it to him his heart would flutter. Even her presence was enough to make him nervous, yet he never shied away from her. He thought his love for her wasn’t romantic, but his feelings had told him differently. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know what to do with these newfound feelings and had often found them boiling over to the point that he had to say something to her. He just didn’t know what the exact words he could use to correctly tell her how he felt. He wanted to be sure that what he felt was romantic love and not something else. If he had made the mistake of rushing it and confessing to her without knowing, he’d risk the chance of ruining the relationship the two had so far. She was someone he wanted to keep in his life permanently and doing something as reckless as that would have destroyed that hope.

 

Communication was never his strongest suit, he knew for sure that figuring out his own feelings were going to be just as hard as telling them to her. Of course, there had always been a doubt about her own feelings. He hadn’t known what she had seen him as, and for all he knew she could have only looked at him as a friend and nothing more. It had scared him to think of the possibility of her not returning his feelings, but it was a very real scenario he had to also expect. These new emotions regarding her were troublesome, they jeopardized everything he had built with her so far.

 

“Link!”

 

Startled by the sudden mention of his name, the boy glanced around the grassy hills he rested upon until his gaze met with the familiar figure of his childhood friend. A bright smile had been pasted on her face as she stood at the bottom of the hill, a notion that had been returned by him. He had lazily waved at her as she approached, his heart picking up speed once she sat down next to him. Her proximity to him had elicited a warm feeling to spread throughout his body and each time her shoulder would brush across his, a tingling sensation was left in its wake.

 

“Is this where you’ve been the whole time?” She asked, her smile never leaving her face. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, you know.”

 

“…Sorry.” He apologetically smiled as a soft laugh had escaped her lips.

 

He hadn’t realized just how much time had passed as he thought about his own situation. The hills a bit beyond their village had been a comfort for him and he had often used them to reflect on the many things that had stirred in his mind. No one other than him and his dear childhood friend had known of the place, so it was quiet and allowed him the freedom to focus on whatever had plagued his mind. What he hadn't expected, however, was for the focal point of his thoughts to be right next to him.

 

Despite the silence that had now come between them, the girl had hummed happily, seemingly entertained with whatever little conversation he offered. Unlike the rest of the teens in their village, she had never bothered him about his lack of communication, neither had she ever been upset with his one worded replies. She had seemed to be happy with the way he was and accepting of his own way of getting his words across.

 

"I almost forgot how peaceful it can be up here." Her voice once again graced his ears. "I hope I'm not ruining it."

 

That was impossible for her to do. The scenery of the distant Hyrule castle against the clear blue sky had been something he'd come to adore, but he would be just as satisfied with her by his side instead. If anything, she added to the serenity. With a shake of his head, Link glanced at the girl next to him before gently bumping his shoulder into hers.

 

"That's impossible," She grinned at his words. "Even for you."

 

His response seemed to have made her happy, the smile on her face appeared to have grown brighter if that was even possible. He liked seeing it so much, he couldn't help but stray his gaze on her for a little longer. Of course, as distracted as the girl was, she didn't even notice his lingering eyes and instead focused on the trees that waved happily along with the wind. Throughout the years, he had rarely ever seen her frown. She was a naturally cheerful girl, who always had a smile on her face even when there was nothing to be happy about. She was like his sun, his day would always get a little brighter with her around.

 

"Tonight, they're popping fireworks at the castle." She informed, her eyes flickering over to meet his. "My mom sent a letter telling me that the view would be great from here."

 

It wasn't common for her to bring up the discussion of her mother. It was a sensitive subject, as her mother's departure from their small village had only been months ago. It was work related, from what he heard.

 

He waited a few seconds before speaking, glancing at the girl next to him warily. From what he could tell, she didn't look as if she didn't want him speaking of the matter. "How is she?"

 

A small puff of air had escaped her lips as she gently lowered her back to the ground. Her hands had clasped together at her abdomen while she stared up at the sky. "She's fine."

 

Without sparing him a glance, she tapped her fingers against her stomach. "I'm fine with talking about her if that's what you want. I know you think I'm mad at her for leaving, but I'm not."

 

Link had nodded, stretching his legs out before him as he leaned back on his hands. He knew not to push the subject further in order to avoid putting a damper on her current mood. It was more than likely that the reason she even trekked up this hill was to escape the adults who hounded her about her mother's letter. Link had told her that if she ever wanted to be alone, she was free to use his spot. Along with these thoughts had come the realization that he just might be intruding.

 

"Do you want to be alone?" He slightly glanced over his shoulder at her. A part of him hoping that she wouldn’t say yes.

 

Her eyes were fluttered shut and the neutral expression she wore on her face had given her a peaceful appearance. Although she looked as if she were in a light sleep, Link had known better than that. Her head had slowly shaken at his question as her hand dropped from atop her stomach and down to her side. Her fingers had gently grasped at the sleeve of his white undershirt. “No. I like having you around me…it’s calming.”

 

She had said things like that which would never fail to make his head spin. Even with the little contact they shared, he slightly reddened at the cheeks. He hated feeling so embarrassed, yet at the same time, he didn’t want to know how to make it stop. It was an odd feeling, one he didn’t hate so much. The tightness in his chest that he would feel after some of the words she had said would hurt but it was a sensation that only she could cause. It was almost like a reminder for him, a reminder that his feelings towards her were genuine. A tug at his wrist had made him aware that she had still held onto him and although he was a bit hesitant to look back at her, he did so anyway but only briefly.

 

“Do you mind laying down with me?”

 

He slightly stiffened at her words. Sometimes with the things she would say, he wondered if she had already caught onto how differently he acted towards her and was being so cruel as to tease him. He knew she was oblivious, but he didn’t think she would go so far as to ignore the fact that he was a male, the opposite gender from herself. Maybe it had been his mistake to underestimate her innocence. Nevertheless, he shook the intruding thoughts away as he slowly leaned back until he felt the soft grass of the hills tickle the back of his neck. The feeling of the grass had quickly gone away as he moved his arms behind his head to act as a pillow.

 

The girl next to him had giggled, her eyes opening before meeting his puzzled gaze. “This reminds me of when we were kids. Cloud watching was always my favorite game to play with you, this moment would have been perfect if there were actually any clouds in the sky.”

 

He hadn’t thought much of the past. There were times where he’d be reminded of it, but his memory of certain events that might have been dear to him in the past was hazy now. She had constantly been the one to bring up their childhood in detail. She enjoyed nostalgia, and Link had loved hearing her talk about it.

 

“The point system was a bit flawed, but you made sure that I would always win.” She reminisced. “…That part of you never changes, does it?”

 

The last part of her sentence had been mumbled a bit and if it weren’t for Link’s close proximity to her, he might have not even heard it. He glanced at her through his peripherals, wondering what had brought on such a question. Before he could even ask her to elaborate more on the subject, she had turned herself towards him.

 

“Promise me that you’ll never change.” His gaze had met her's after she had spoken those words. “Promise me that you’ll always be…”

 

Her sentence had trailed off as she averted her gaze towards the blades of grass between them. Link had continued to stare at her with an expression of confusion, ignoring his rapid heartbeats that had grown almost unbearable due to the little distance that was shared between them. She quietly laughed to herself as she rose up to a seating position before staring back at Link with a ghost of a smile. She watched him as he followed suit, her smile turning into what he recognized as a mischievous grin. “Meet me back here later tonight, I have something to tell you after the fireworks show.”

 

Once again, she didn’t give him much time to process anything she had said before taking off down the hill and towards their village. He had wondered what she was so secretive about, but he assumed it had to have been something good as she was never the best at keeping secrets, especially exciting ones. The fireworks would happen until hours later, so he still had a bit of time to contemplate his relationship with his childhood friend. Like her, he was also planning on revealing his secret about his feelings towards her and he was determined to figure them out in the time being.

* * *

 

The difference between romantic love and familial love had always been blurred in her mind. Sometimes she would think that what she felt towards her childhood friend had been familial and it once had been, but over time she realized it was no longer the same. She knew what she felt now was definitely romantic. Sometimes she would hear the other girls talk about the boys they liked. They would speak about the nervousness that would arise when they were around, and how flustered they would get with only a second of eye contact. Their experience didn't exactly mirror with her own, but their selfishness regarding the person they liked, had. The girls had talked of how they never wanted to see their chosen boy with another girl, nor did they ever want to leave their side. It was something she could finally relate to them with. She wanted to stay by his side for all of eternity, she wanted him to only need her and no one else. She knew this side of her had been greedy with his presence, but the thoughts had only persisted and grew over time. 

 

She wasn’t sure when it began, she couldn’t remember the day she had started seeing Link as a romantic interest rather than a close friend. She didn’t know when his words had started to mean more to her than what they had before. Neither could she remember the day that she began to yearn to be near him and bask in his presence. Things had truly changed between them, and she wasn’t sure when it had started.

 

Being in love had been a feeling riddled with its ups and downs. She would be bursting with happiness when she could see him and upset when she wasn’t able to. Her dreams would somehow always relate to him and when she woke up in the morning, she’d find herself wanting to see him again. It felt like her whole world had now revolved around him. Her mind would be filled with nothing but him and her selfish wishes for the two of them to be even closer. It had made her wonder, when did she stop thinking about the other things that didn’t pertain to him? When did her thoughts about her next sewing project turn into the hope that she could spend more time with him? It had almost scared her with how much things had changed and all she could do was pray that Link could accept the new selfish side of her that wanted him all to herself.

 

She remembered in the recent letter she sent to her mother she asked what these new feelings had meant. At the time, they confused her and she wasn’t exactly sure if it was right of her to act on them so quickly. She didn’t know who else to ask as the other girls in her village would have surely teased her about them or tell Link before she even had a chance to. Her mother’s response had been one she had sort of expected. It had been brief, but the written words had only confirmed what she already knew.

 

‘Sounds like you have a crush on someone, Y/n! That’s the same way I felt about your father when we first met. You better introduce me when I come to visit next week unless it’s the person who I already have in mind.’

 

She had never expected her mother to be as observant as she was. It might have seemed that Link would be the obvious choice, but she had known her mother had always been a bit oblivious to what was happening around her. So it had been a surprise to read that her mother had somewhat known it was Link who she was referring to in the letter.

 

“Y/n.”

 

The girl’s head perked in response to hearing her own name. Her gaze had settled on the sight of her father standing in the door of her room. He held a glazed over look, suggesting that he had spent another long hour workday in the town just a little ways away from their village. She had known what his next words were going to be as they were the same thing he had asked every day since her mother had left for the city.

 

“Have you heard anything from your mother?”

 

She nodded, briefly waving the letter at him before settling it down on her bed. “She’s fine. She wanted me to tell you not to worry about her and that she’ll be coming down next week to visit.”

 

Her father nodded, tiredly mumbling about going to bed before closing the door to her room and shuffling towards his own. Her parents had always cared deeply for one another. Her mother had been adventurous and often had been the one making her father worry about her daily. It sort of reminded the girl of her own relationship with Link and how he would bravely go off on his own with her tagging along out of concern. Despite how dangerous some of the things he’d get himself into were, she would have never wished for him to change and that’s how she figured her father had felt about her mother. His courage to do what she could not, was the reason she was attracted to him.

 

‘Opposites attract.’

 

A saying she had overheard one of the older women in her village saying in regards to hers and Link’s relationship. It had been the whole reason why she had decided to risk everything with him in order to spill out her feelings that night. The fireworks show was to be their last time together as friends whether he accepted her or not. She could only hope that he would.

 

It pained her to think otherwise. She didn’t know what she would do without him by her side and to think of a future with him in it was far better than having nothing between the two at all. She knew what she was risking in order to convey her feelings, she knew that he may never look at her the same if he hadn’t reciprocated them but she needed a release. Being trapped in her own thoughts, and the potential torture of having to see him love someone besides her wasn’t worth her silence. She couldn’t stand to sit idly by and allow it to happen without a word of protest. If he were to accept her, they would carry on the rest of their lives with each other, cherishing each moment. If he were to not, they would go their separate ways, only reflecting on what it used to be until they no longer thought of the other. It was sad for her to think that if he wouldn’t accept her that she’d be forced to forget about him. The pain would be too great for her to revel in it forever and although she wished to not burden him with these feelings, her selfishness, that she constantly gave into, demanded it.

 

The sun which had so brightly shined into her room had now been reduced to orange golden rays as it began to set. There hadn’t been too much time left until the fireworks show would start and then the time to spill everything to Link would follow soon after. A part of her had dreaded the action of telling him anything, but she knew that it was something she needed to do. She had always been afraid of things, always overthinking each and every little decision she’d make. She would constantly take the safest route, doing things that were in her comfort zone. She was never brave enough to do newer things and so the idea of having to confess such embarrassing things to her childhood friend had felt terrifying. With a sigh, she fell back against her bed as she stared up at the ceiling of her room.

 

_‘What do I say to him?’_  She thought to herself.  _‘I love you?’_

 

‘ _No, too cliche._ ’ Those three words couldn’t even begin to represent the emotions she felt.

 

_‘You’re the only one for me.’_  She squinted her eyes before shaking her head at the thought. ‘ _What am I doing? Asking him to marry me?’_

 

Blushing a bit at the idea of marriage, she continued running through her choice of words. ‘ _How do I tell him how I feel if I can’t even find the words for them?’_

 

Sighing loudly, she rolled over onto her stomach before screaming into her pillow out of frustration. She never thought this would have been the hardest part of realizing her own feelings. Sure, there was always the safest option of just using the classic ‘I love you’, but that wasn’t something she was willing to do. When she finally told him how she felt, she wanted him to know everything. A simple ‘I love you’ could never accurately convey the emotions welled up inside her.

 

_‘I could tell him how happy he makes me…’_

 

_‘How empowered I feel when he’s around, like I can take on the world as long as he’s by my side.’_

 

_‘I could tell him about how selfishly possessive I am about him. How I wished that he needed me and only me.'_

 

' _I could tell him about how I cherish each and every word he speaks to me and how much I crave to be near him.'_

 

_'Or about how much I miss him when he isn't around.'_

 

Rolling over onto her back again, she released another sigh. There was so much she was wanting to include in what felt like a novel of feelings towards him, though she knew for the sake of punctuality, she wasn't going to be able to say it all no matter what. She was the type to ramble when she became too nervous and she knew once the time arrived for her to spill her secret, she wasn't going to make much sense. It was better to keep her sentences brief, yet still hold the sincerity she had felt. She figured it would be better to just let the words right out of her mouth when the time came. As long as her words were genuine, then it wouldn't matter if they made no sense. What mattered was that he would finally know.

* * *

 

Night had rapidly approached, faster than he had ever expected and as he stepped out from the door of his home, he had felt the familiar feeling of nervousness settling in the pit of his stomach. He was curious about what Y/n was going to say to him and as he began making his way towards the hills a bit beyond the village, he wondered if it was going to be something he didn't want to hear.

 

Over the time he had spent after seeing her on the hill hours ago, he had finally worked out where exactly he lied in their relationship. For the time being, he figured he had been in what others had called a 'one-sided love'. He was still unsure if she would ever return his feelings, but he was determined to tell her his own. If there had been even a small chance that she had felt the same towards him, he would take it in a heartbeat. All he hoped and needed from her was a 'yes'.

 

Link had briefly greeted adults he knew and ignored the words of the teens he'd passed by who teased him about meeting with Y/n. He wasn't sure how they knew about that, but he assumed that one of them may have seen them or even asked the girl herself who was much kinder to them compared to him.

 

His pace had quickened after he approached the short bridge that ran over a small stream. From there, he could see his childhood friend standing atop the hill, her gaze focused solely on the sky as if anticipating the fireworks at any second. She had still yet to notice him as he made his way up the hill, it wasn't until he had gently touched her shoulder that she had snapped out of her trance.

 

"About time you arrived." She grinned. "I was beginning to think you'd never show up."

 

He returned her smile with one of his own as he plopped himself down on to the grass below. She joined him on the ground as her eyes had once again found themselves staring up into the sky. The silence that had fallen between them had been comforting. It was obvious that she was distracted with something, he just didn't know what and could only assume that it had to have something to do with what she wanted to tell him.

 

"Do you cherish our friendship?"

 

He glanced over at her as the words had left her mouth. "I do."

 

She met his gaze as she smiled at his reply, although it didn't look like it was out of happiness. "Then if it changed, would you hate me?"

 

He furrowed his brows, perturbed by her question. "No-"

 

The first firework that had popped off into the sky had startled the both of them. Her eyes that had once been focused on him had returned back to the sky. A multitude of colors had splayed across her face as they continued being fired into the sky, each of the loud booms rung out across fields as distant cheering from their village could be heard. His attention had been captured by the colorful sight of the sky. Y/n's mother was right about how the hill would have offered a perfect view of them and as he made a mental note to thank her in the future, he felt a hand slide along his arm and down to his hand that rested on his knee. He glanced over at the girl next to him who smiled as if to give him reassurance. Her fingers knitted with his own which had made him fluster a bit at how suddenly bold she had become. He was at least glad that it was dark enough for her to not be able to make out his features.

 

She stared at him as if waiting for him to object to her decision of holding his hand. When he hadn't said anything, she took it as his acceptance. "You've changed a lot over the years."

 

His gaze trailed down to their joined hands before returning back to her face. The popping of the fireworks had gone unheard of by both as they focused in on one another. "So have you."

 

His reply to her had made her head tilt slightly in confusion. As he tentatively glanced into her eyes, watching them swirl and meld with the different colors of the fireworks. “It’s become impossible for me to see you as nothing but a friend anymore.”

 

“So I won’t. You’ve become much more to me than just a friend ever would.” He felt her hand squeeze his as he continued. “I don’t think I could live without you by my side.”

 

She stared at him with an expression, one that he wasn’t able to decipher as happiness nor anger. Her mouth had been slightly agape and before she could say anything, he finished his words with a question. “Do you hate me for that?”

 

She shook her head, biting her lower lip as she took a deep breath. “Today I was sure that you weren’t going to accept me when I told you that I’ve become so selfish with you.”

 

“I want you all to myself. I don’t ever want to hear you say you love someone else besides me.” A frown had set on her face as she turned herself towards him, caressing the hand she held of his with both of hers. Her gaze had been focused on her fingers which had gently rubbed at the back of his palm. “Would you hate me for saying that?”

 

She rose her gaze to meet his as he shook his head. Once she had seen his response, her eyes fell back to their united hands. “If I told you that you’re the only person in the world who could ever bring me happiness, would you hate me for saying that?”

 

Once again he shook his head, a response that had caused tears to well up in the corner of her eyes. His heart had beat wildly against his chest in anticipation for her next words. The fireworks in the background had reflected off the tears that now gently dribbled down her face as she tightly held onto his hand as if she were afraid that he’d let go of her.

 

“Link,” Her voice had slightly cracked as her bottom lip quivered. He was slightly alarmed by her distress and had finally turned himself to face her as his only free hand had lied on her shoulder. “I’m in love with you.”

 

A blush had spread across her face as she had finally said those words aloud. Just as she had taken her hands away from his to hide her reddened cheeks, he had quickly grasped onto her wrists and pulled them away from her face. Before she could even react to his sudden movements, her lips had been captured by his.

 

She didn’t even realize they fell back onto the ground until she found herself trapped between his arms which acted as a support as he towered over her figure. She wasn’t exactly sure what to do, so she had opted to wordlessly stare at him with an expression that had conveyed her surprise. “D-Did you just…”

 

“Kiss you?” He finished to which she nodded in response as another blush spread across her face. “I did.”

 

“Why?” She wasn’t unhappy with his actions, she just wanted him to confirm them as an acceptance of her feelings.

 

“Because I’m in love with you too.”

 

She brightly smiled at his words as she circled her arms around his neck and pulled him down next to her. He grunted softly as his side collided with the floor but had made no complaints when the girl embracing him had brought herself closer. Their legs had been tangled with one another as Y/n’s face had been buried in the side of his neck, her breaths tickling his exposed skin. Slowly, he had wrapped his own arms around her figure as his eyes fluttered shut. As the last firework had popped, Link had felt the anxiety of telling her all he had felt disapte. The serenity he felt with her in his arms had been incomparable to anything else and he was sure that this was going to be something he remembers for the rest of his life. Just as he was ready to spend hours in the same position with her, a giggle had erupted from her as she placed a chaste kiss to his cheek before whispering in his ear.

 

“Maybe we should get up before someone finds us like this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day <3


End file.
